{"id":65605,"date":"2025-12-23T16:19:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T16:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/afcon-2025-match-preview-super-eagles-face-tanzania"},"modified":"2025-12-23T16:59:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T16:59:24","slug":"afcon-2025-match-preview-super-eagles-face-tanzania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/afcon-2025-match-preview-super-eagles-face-tanzania","title":{"rendered":"Afcon 2025 Match Preview Super Eagles Face Tanzania"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Lesotho. <\/strong> <\/span>Last edition\u2019s runners-up, Nigeria, will begin their quest for continental glory at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a Group C opener against Tanzania on Tuesday at the Fez Stadium, Morocco.<\/p>\n<p>The Super Eagles arrive at AFCON 2025 determined to go one step further after falling just short in the previous tournament, where they suffered a 2\u20131 defeat to hosts Ivory Coast in the final.<\/p>\n<p>That disappointment was compounded by the failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, adding extra significance to their AFCON campaign as they seek redemption on Africa\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria seeking redemption<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria\u2019s World Cup qualification journey ended in heartbreak.<\/p>\n<p>A revised CAF regulation on ranking the best runners-up, a late push to secure second place in Group C, and an emphatic extra-time victory over Gabon in the playoff semi-final briefly revived hopes.<\/p>\n<p>However, those hopes were dashed after a penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in the final playoff.<\/p>\n<p>That result confirmed an unwanted milestone in Nigerian football history, as the three-time African champions missed out on the World Cup for a second consecutive cycle \u2014 something that had not happened since their debut appearance in 1994.<\/p>\n<p>Redemption, therefore, feels essential for the so-called giants of African football.<\/p>\n<p>Preparation for AFCON 2025 has been mixed. The Super Eagles suffered a 2\u20131 friendly defeat to Egypt last Tuesday, ending a largely encouraging run of seven matches, which included five victories when their extra-time success over Gabon is factored in.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the slight dip in momentum, Nigeria will still be widely expected to claim all three points in their opener.<\/p>\n<p>Ranked 38th on the FIFA World Rankings, the Super Eagles face a Tanzania side positioned 74 places lower, a gap that underlines the difference in pedigree and expectations between both teams.<\/p>\n<p>Caution against early slip-ups<\/p>\n<p>However, recent history suggests Nigeria cannot afford complacency. At the last AFCON, the Super Eagles were held to a 1\u20131 draw by Equatorial Guinea in their opening match, despite eventually topping the group and reaching the final.<\/p>\n<p>That experience serves as a reminder that opening fixtures can be tricky, regardless of rankings.<\/p>\n<p>With their last continental triumph dating back to 2013, pressure remains on Nigeria to deliver.<\/p>\n<p>The presence of Europe-based stars such as former CAF Players of the Year Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen \u2014 now with Galatasaray \u2014 alongside Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, only heightens expectations.<\/p>\n<p>For head coach Eric Chelle and his squad, anything short of a positive start against Tanzania would be seen as a disappointment.<\/p>\n<p>As AFCON 2025 kicks off, the Super Eagles will be eager to lay down an early marker and begin their redemption story with a convincing performance in Fez.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Lesotho<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Lesotho. Last edition\u2019s runners-up, Nigeria, will begin their quest for continental glory at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a Group C opener against Tanzania on Tuesday at the Fez Stadium, Morocco. The Super Eagles arrive at AFCON 2025 determined to go one step further after falling just short in the previous [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":65604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[245],"class_list":["post-65605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-lesotho"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Afcon 2025 Match Preview Super Eagles Face Tanzania - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag&quot;&gt; Africa-Press - Lesotho. 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